Cell Phones

Kyocera DuraTR Pros & Cons Review

- Analysis by KJ David

A hulking candybar phone that's more concerned about durability than portability, the Kyocera DuraTR measures 24.9mm thick and weighs a whopping 240 grams -- almost 60 percent heavier than the average smartphone (roughly 150 grams) around the time that we got a hold of its mishmash of pros and cons. These setbacks on the physical front are countered by some rugged features, though, which we'll get to further down this specs-driven review.

In addition to its cumbersome physique, the DuraTR also suffers from a tiny 2.4-inch 320 x 240 display , although an unassuming screen is a commonplace con among Kyocera's rugged basic phones -- feel free to check out a few more of them in our list of the best Kyocera phones here .

As for its strengths, the 4G-ready DuraTR features Sprint's Direct Connect Plus Push-to-Talk technology , which is a suite of PTT functions, such as Group Connect, PTT over Wi-Fi networks, and Broadcast Calling, the latter allowing a designated user to make a one-way call to up to 500 other users, largely for urgent or high-priority matters.

It also comes with MIL-STD-810G as well as IP68 rugged certifications , protecting its interior pros and cons from damages that may be caused by extreme temperatures, liquids, and dust grains. Additionally, it claims to withstand drops from up to 2 meters, based on Kyocera's controlled tests -- by the way, we also keep a list of popular waterproof and rugged phones . Also in the mix is its certification as non-incendive (Class I, Division 2) , which basically means that it is safe for use in hazardous environments.

While it lacks a selfie camera (an unsurprising drawback in this phone category), the DuraTR could still do fine versus some of its rivals imaging-wise, rocking a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with flash and autofocus -- a bunch of tantamount phones settle for 2- or 3.2-megapixel cams. Moreover, it features a programmable key as well as a dedicated SOS key , while a 106dB speaker injected with Kyocera's Smart Amplifier technology complements its aforementioned PTT capabilities.

Under the hood, the DuraTR lugs 2900mAh of battery power , which sounds like a lot of power for a basic bar phone. It runs on a 1.1GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor alongside 1GB of RAM.